High Five for Friday #27

by Katie @ Cup of Tea // July 10, 2015 // 33 Comments

Welcome to High Five for Friday – hosted by Katie, Caitlin, Tif and Della! If you want to know more, read about it here!

This week’s featured blogger is Nicole from The Diary of Nicole Alicia! She is currently in London and is doing posts about her travels there. So jealous! If you want some vacation envy, head over. The Harry Potter World is on my bucket list the next time I’m in London. Plus, I discovered Nicole and I both share a love for McVities Digestive Biscuits. Yum! Be sure to swing over and say hi!

And then, before we launch in to week recap mode, can we chat for a second? We try REALLY hard to make H54F not just a link up, but a community, a support for bloggers of all audience sizes, styles, topics, etc! And we’re doing a little brainstorming.

Would you be interested in engaging with one another, regularly, throughout the week? We aren’t sure what that looks like yet… maybe it’s just following one another on social media and sharing each other’s posts. Maybe it’s trying to organize meet ups with those that live close together. I don’t know! BUT if you’re interested in going outside of the usual link up routine and building some camaraderie with one another, let me know! Anyway, our little wheels have been turning, and we just get too excited about these things!!

And now, here was my week!

1. Our 4th of July weekend was tons of fun! Not many pictures, because we mainly hung out with family all weekend and just laughed, ate and enjoyed one another’s company. That’s what matters, right? We caught fireworks out the front window, we put together a puzzle (didn’t complete it, but we tried!), we visited the aquarium, and we watched planes take off and land at the airport.

2. We unfortunately had to leave our family and head home rather abruptly because I got sick. Boo! And it kind of knocked me out of commission all week. But thankfully I’m back on the mend (I think).

3. Can I just say how grateful I am to have such a sweet girl?? Even when I’m having a rough day, Elizabeth is pretty good about being funny! Did you see my IG video yesterday? (I’m @ktcupoftea) It was such a fun game we were playing! Simple joys. (FYI – did you know you could embed pictures or video from IG into posts? I didn’t! Nifty galifty!)

Hello! ?? #toddlerlife

A video posted by Katie (@ktcupoftea) on Jul 9, 2015 at 6:08pm PDT

4. I’ve got this looming work deadline (I do a little consulting work at nap times… #napconsulting) that includes two meetings/presentations next week… and I’m DRAGGING my feet on this project. It’s one of those things were it’s all in my head, I just need to commit it to paper in a way that makes sense to others. But it just needs to get DONE!

5. I’m SUPER excited about this weekend! We are doing a picnic/river splashing with friends on Saturday, and then Sunday we’re headed on a train ride. It will be so much fun! Elizabeth hasn’t been on a steam train before, but she’s just now pointing out trains in books and saying “train”. So this may be perfect timing!

So that’s it! Hope you’re having an excellent Friday, and have a happy weekend!!

P.S. Did you see this week’s post about getting out of a rut? I’ve done a few things to get me back on the productivity train! (Meant to do that…) AND I posted an update on how we’re doing with our Summer Bucket list!

Fellow bloggers – ready to join in the link up? Just write a blog post about 5 things that made this week awesome! Add your link to your blog post down below (make sure it’s your blog post, not your blog home page!). And then grab the H54F button to add to your post! And go visit at least 3 fellow link uppers AND this week’s featured blogger! It’s just the nice thing to do.

And be sure to tag your posts/pics on social media with #H54F! We really do try to make the rounds and like, comment, retweet, etc! It’s so much fun to support one another, isn’t it?

I’m also linking up with Oh Hey, Friday, Meet @ the Barre, 5 on Friday & Diary of a Real Housewife

UPDATE | Summer Vacation To Do List 2015

by Katie @ Cup of Tea // July 9, 2015 // 12 Comments

How is it that summer vacation is almost half over already?? We’re almost to my birthday at the end of July, and that’s historically my mental half over marker.

Are you having a good summer so far? Do you have super hot weather like we do here in NC? Or do you have a wet, cool summer (jealous)?

I thought I’d check in on how we’re doing with the Summer Bucket List. And I’m doing this mainly for my own benefit (I should have printed off this list to remember!)

What we’ve done so far:

Plan Hookie Weekends – they got locked into our calendar and we’ve already done two! This needs to be a monthly tradition.
Visit the Farmers’ Market – did it. Loved it. And, in fact, there were several of our favorite food trucks there, so it kind of knocked the food truck rodeo one off the list, without the crushing crowds!
Organize Play Dates – I’ve organized a few, BUT thankfully others have this sweet idea on their bucket list too, and we’ve been fairly busy with play dates.

So…. that’s not really much, is it? No. BUT it still so far feels like quite the full summer with plenty to do.

Here’s what I’ve got in the works:

Visit every city park – We’ve already visited about 10 or so parks to scope them out. I realized, though, that this is kind of a hard one to check off when it’s 90+ degrees outside.
Go to the Zoo – it’s hard to get motivated to go to the zoo when it’s so hot outside… BUT I did discover a smaller zoo about an hour away (doubles as a in-state road trip!) that gets kids more up close to animals and is cheaper. Win!
Road Trips – I mentioned last time I wanted to do a in-state and out-of-state road trip. We’ve got a road trip to Michigan coming up in August (check!), and I just need to plan some fun for in-state, and put it on the calendar.

With the second half of summer about to start, I need to grab my calendar and plan days to knock a few more out of the park. Good thing I’ve become more productive lately.

How are your plans for this summer going? Checking some fun things off? Even if you don’t have the summer off, like the good ol’ days, try to plan a few special things!

How I Got Back On Track | 6 Tips for Rebooting Your Productivity

by Katie @ Cup of Tea // July 7, 2015 // 21 Comments

Over the last few months I’ve been stuck in a rut. A rut of feeling stressed out, that there isn’t enough time in the day, that I’m behind on stuff, etc.

You’ve been there, right?

Over the last few weeks, though, I feel like I have had a bit of a reboot. Things aren’t perfect, but I have tried a few things that helped push me out of that rut and get back on track.

And if you’re stuck in a rut, I hope it helps you too!

1. Have a think and figure out what is causing your stress or lack of motivation | Sure, you’re feeling stressed because there is a lot on your to-do list. But why do you have that long to-do list? What’s holding you back from tackling those items? For me, it turned out that I was wasting way too much time on TV. I love TV! And there is nothing wrong with that. But I was choosing to give myself the reward of watching something before tackling to-do items. So loosing that precious work time by watching TV was causing me the stress.

I’ve also been feeling blah about myself, physically. I’m not fat… but I’m not my usual self either. And I’ve been lacking motivation to exercise. And I’m sure the lack of exercise is contributing to my feelings of sluggishness and choosing to be lazy (watching TV) over being productive. Make sense?

2. Figure out how to fix those things that cause you stress | Once I had a chance to really think about the root of my stress, then I needed to figure out how to fix it. There’s no reason to cut TV out of my life completely. That’s just dumb. And unrealistic. But I need to set some boundaries. I should limit myself to just 30 minutes during nap time to have a tea break with a TV show. That sounds more reasonable! I also started going on walks as soon as Elizabeth got up, to clear my mind, get some fresh air, and energize.

3. Set aside time for a planning session, and then brain dump | Once I had a good plan to tackle the underlying issues of feeling unmotivated, I could tackle the long to-do list! I just set aside one nap time to do a good old fashioned brain dump. I grabbed a notebook and my planner, and just wrote down EVERYTHING that was floating around in my head as a to-do. Even if it was doing a load of laundry. If it was rattling around in my head, it went down in the list.

4. Sort that brain dump | As relaxing as it is to write a huge, long to-do list, it’s super overwhelming to look at it all once you’re done writing it all down. It’s a HUGE list! And you’re never quite sure where to start. I went through that long list and started to sort it. You could sort by deadline (what really has to get done today? what needs done by the end of the week?) or by category (housework vs. consulting work vs. blog). But make the list more manageable! If you’re a printable person, this free printable from Emily Ley has a brain dump sheet, already split in to 4 quadrants!

And then I came up with a battle plan to complete the list! Doesn’t have to be done in a day, but a battle plan will help you feel more in control and prepared.

5. Tackle and start (or complete) the task you REALLY don’t want to do | This little tidbit has busted me out of many ruts. I end up putting off the silliest tasks (sending emails, making phone calls) and they all build up. It would take me only 2 minutes to complete, but I just. don’t. want. to. So when I was ready to tackle that lengthy, overwhelming to-do list, I looked for the thing I just was dreading. Nothing feels better at the end of the day knowing you started or completed a task you hate!

6. Rinse and repeat | Now that my special TV/Tea time and morning walks are a part of my routine, I’ve noticed I have more energy and drive to get stuff done! I have also been setting aside some brain dump/planning time at the same time each evening. This was something I did when I was working full time, and it kept me so organized and focused. I don’t know why I forgot to incorporate this in to my SAHM routine! I was sort of doing it on occasion, but having a set time every evening was the game changer. I set aside 30 minutes each evening, after my husband and I have had our TV time, and I brain dump. Miracles are happening, folks.

So that’s it! 6 things that I did to help give me a reboot. And so far, so good. Like all things organizing, I could change it all again in a few months! But sometimes when you get stuck in a rut, you need a boost to get you back on track.

What do you do when you’re stuck in a rut? Any special tips/tricks?? I’d love to hear them!

High Five for Friday #26

by Katie @ Cup of Tea // July 3, 2015 // 16 Comments

Welcome to High Five for Friday – hosted by Katie, Caitlin, Tif and Della! If you want to know more, read about it here!

This week’s featured blogger is Brenda from Chatting Over Chocolate! She’s a regular here at H54F and it’s been such a delight catching up with her every week. Doesn’t her whole family look like such fun? She’s a total Disney girl, so if you’re ever planning a trip, check out her blog posts for tips! She’s also a great bargain hunter (a skill I lack in!) so I appreciate her “digging up a good deal” skills! If you haven’t already had the pleasure of reading Brenda’s blog, then head on over now!

And now, a few bits and bobs from our week!

1. I had some glorious, and much needed friend time this week (hi friends!!). Monday was play date and chit chat with Bible Study friends, followed by a spontaneous lunch out with one of the girls and her toddler. And then Thursday was a catch up with a sweet friend and her girl. We did something genius. Normally, we have a play date, lunch and then home for naps. But this time, we set up a pack n play, and Elizabeth took her nap there while the mommies had interrupted time for tea and chatting (and we may have eaten 3 doughnuts each…). Why have we never done that before???? *forehead slap

2. Elizabeth and I found a new spot at our local children’s museum! It had a little hut that she was just obsessed with. No other kids were back there since it’s tucked out of the way, so that was a shy girl win! (Elizabeth’s shy… not me)

3. I was a blogging super star (for me anyway) this week. For the first time in a while I got a post up every day. And it felt so good! I’ve been working on a new routine (sharing it next week!) and it’s really working for me. In case you missed posts this week, here they are! While I don’t normally share my past posts in H54F recaps, I feel like this needs to be celebrated. And you may have gotten out of the loop checking in. HA!

Menu Monday
Stitch Fix #3 and Review
Currently | Favorites
Guest Post at Our Pretty Little Girls for Beth’s Girl Moms Series

4. I’m pretty sure I’ve mentioned this a few times, but ironing is one of my LEAST favorite housewife/grown up duties. I go so long between ironing things that it’s just a mountain by the time I get around to it. I try to tackle it before my husband notices, but he noticed this week. BUT I’m happy to report that I stayed up late last night to do it. And many TV shows were watched as a result. HA!

5. What are you doing for the 4th weekend, my fellow U.S.A. friends? Fireworks? Grilling? Red, White & Blue clothing? I need to plan out my outfit for the weekend (I own zero red clothes…. shocking, right?) but I’ve gotten a lot of inspiration from the How I Style It: Patriotic Pretties link up that happened this week with a few bloggers. Go check out some ideas if you’re needing some ideas!

Speaking of Independence Day, I’m wishing all of my fellow Americans a splendid, fun, celebratory 4th of July celebration, whatever you’re up to!! Can’t wait to see recaps next week 😉

Source

And be sure to tag your posts/pics on social media with #H54F! We really do try to make the rounds and like, comment, retweet, etc! It’s so much fun to support one another, isn’t it?

I’m also linking up with Oh Hey, Friday, Meet @ the Barre, 5 on Friday & Diary of a Real Housewife